Patriquin says songs by the eight-time Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter include Good Mother, Insensitive, Could I Be Your Girl and I Would Die For You. She doesn’t want to reveal what the performers will sing to keep an element of surprise.

“There’s a good balance. There are some that are very well-known and a few that I had to look up, even though I loved Jann Arden since she started performing.”

A co-founder of Angels and Heroes Theatre Company in 2002 with fellow Dalhousie Theatre graduates Richie Wilcox and Heather Davis, Patriquin has been involved with the Pride tributes since their beginning in the Music Room.

“Richie had an idea for a tribute show fundraiser, and he thought it would be fun to have a Rufus Wainwright cover night, and he thought if he lined it up with Pride Week he’d get a bigger audience.

“There was an outpouring of support, people had a great time and the musicians wanted to do it again. Eventually, it became a pride event.”

Patriquin says they choose artists for tributes who are gay — like Wainwright and Elton John — or who are not gay but proud supporters of equal rights, like Annie Lennox.

Arden has never openly discussed her sexuality but is beloved by a diverse audience, said Patriquin.

“People appreciate her music and her humour. It’s nice to celebrate someone who lives her life and doesn’t feel the need to talk about her sexuality. It’s no one’s business. I hope we reach a point where we are asking ‘Why do we care?’”

Townsend, who won the 2012 ECMA for Rising Star and who opened for Heart on its cross-Canada tour, has been part of the tributes since the beginning. So has Legere, who has also appeared in several Angels and Heroes productions.

A newcomer is Doerkensen, whom Wilcox met in Alberta, where he is working. When Doerkensen moved to Halifax a few months ago, Wilcox suggested his inclusion in the tribute.

“He’s got a great jazz-inspired sound, a melange of sounds, a raspy voice and a good spirit,” said Patriquin.

Also new is Rankin MacInnis and Party Boots, which Patriquin says is appropriately named.

“They play get up on your feet, dancing groovy music and have great energy and a great sound. You don’t expect to hear bands doing Jann Arden covers.It will be fun to see what they do with the stripped-down Jann Arden sound.”

Patriquin said she sometimes worries about the event getting stale, but having new artists and new musicians each year keeps things fresh.

And this year’s decision to have artists each do an original song as well as a cover gives them the opportunity to showcase their talent “to an audience that they might not otherwise have reached on a really warm, really special night.”

The event has sold out in past years so Patriquin recommends getting the $20 tickets in advance at Venus Envy or the Company House. They will be available on a cash-only basis at the bar on the night of the concert.